Braves will be in playoffs — just in other uniforms
John Smoltz took an unexpected road back to playoffs.
In a Braves season that figures to have little drama remaining, I was kind of looking forward to at least one match-up before the season ended: Braves vs. John Smoltz. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. According to the way the St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation lays out, Smoltz will pitch next Monday against Florida, the day after the Braves close a three-game series in St. Louis.
So he’ll have to be content with saying hello to former teammates and politely leaving playoffs out of the conversation.
Pulling for Tex means you're pulling for the Yankees.
Which leads me to this: Do you follow ex-Braves in the post-season when the Braves don’t make it? I thought about this last night when I was going through 10 potential playoff rosters in the National and American Leagues, and I can pretty much field an entire lineup.
This is based on Philadelphia, St. Louis and the Los Angeles Dodgers winning divisions in the National League, and New York, Detroit and the L.A. Angels winning them in the American League. Since the wild card spots are still being contended primarily by Colorado and San Francisco in the N.L. and Boston and Texas in the A.L., I’ve included all four. Here we go.
♦ Starting pitchers: Smoltz (St. Louis), Adam Wainwright, (St. Louis), Kevin Millwood (Texas), Jason Marquis (Colorado) and Jason Schmidt (L.A. Dodgers).
♦ Relief pitchers: Neftali Feliz (Texas) and Will Ohman (L.A. Dodgers), Paul Byrd (Boston).
♦ First base: Mark Teixeira (New York), Casey Kotchman (Boston).
♦ Second base: Nick Green (Boston).
♦ Shortstop: Elvis Andrus (Texas), Rafael Furcal (L.A. Dodgers), Edgar Renteria (San Francisco).
♦ Third base: Mark DeRosa (St. Louis).
♦ Left field: We’re open here. We may have to move Kotchman here and hope nobody hits one out there.
♦ Center field/DH: Andruw Jones (Texas).
♦ Right Field: J.D. Drew. (Boston).
♦ Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Texas).
Honestly, I’m not sure the team of ex-Braves would win a round of playoffs. Other than Teixiera (.282, 35 homers, 106 RBIs), they’ve been a light-hitting bunch this season. The outfield right now lines up as Kotchman (.182, one homer with Red Sox), Jones (.217 but 17 homers, 42 RBI) and Drew (.267, 20 HR, 59 RBI). Saltalamacchia also has struggled (.233, 9, 34).
Smoltz, with Teixeira, will be the highest-profile ex-Brave in the post-season — Smoltz being the biggest surprise after the meltdowns in Boston. He went 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in eight starts with the Red Sox, but is 1-1 and 3.27 in four starts with St. Louis. The Cardinals have said he likely will finish the regular season as a starter but is being penciled in as a reliever and backup starter in the post-season.
Do you care? Will you watch him?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
74 comments Add your comment
dozer
September 9th, 2009
7:34 am
How about Wainright? the Teixeira & Drew trades surely won’t be mentioned in Schuerholz’s HOF bio…….
taxman kenneth
September 9th, 2009
7:35 am
Good comment. This just goes to show how many stupid trades the braves have made. Who do they have from these trades? Look at the records of Marquis and Wainright and you will get an even more sick feeling on the stupid trades repercussions. A team who make trades like they do don’t deserve to win anything and I for one hope they don’t make the playoffs for a long time to come until some management changes are made starting at the top.
Mike Lum
September 9th, 2009
7:39 am
I’d take our Braves any day over that bunch of ex-Braves.
Dan
September 9th, 2009
7:46 am
Neftali Feliz, not Perez
taxman kenneth
September 9th, 2009
7:54 am
What braves pitchers have 17 wins and 15 wins? Wainright is going for his 18th tonight and Marquis has 15 wins. How many braves have 34 homers? I think Tex has 34 or more. I hope Wainright wins tonight and has a chance to be a 20 game winner. Who was the braves last 20 game winner? I’m sure he has either retired or the braves found a way to give him away like they did all the other players mentioned in the column. I still say that the Tex and JD Drew so called trades will go down as the most lopsided trades in baseball history. Look at all the good players who are playing that were given away in these lop sided bum trades. I don’t know what team Mike @7:39 am is looking at but I certainly cannot see any current braves players who compares to the likes ot Tex, Marquis, Wainright, and even Elvis Andrus who is a whiz at short and the book is still out on Perez but from what I have seen so far he is going to be a heck of a pitcher either in relief or starting fir the Rangers.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
September 9th, 2009
7:55 am
Nick Gree as utility, maybe start in left or as a pitcher, 0.00 era
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
September 9th, 2009
7:55 am
Green, shheeeezzzzz
taxman kenneth
September 9th, 2009
7:56 am
Sorry about the “fir” above. Hit wrong key.
rhynster
September 9th, 2009
7:56 am
Losing Schmidt and Wainright have been rueful.
But none of the others have proven regretful to lose.
Yes, it would be nice to still have Texeira, but not at his price.
dozer
September 9th, 2009
7:58 am
This organization doesn’t get enough heat from the media for their failings. They never had a chance to sign Drew or Tex – they had to know that when they made those trades. I think Wren has done a pretty good job so far with the exception of giving $40M+ to a breaking-down underachiever….
rhynster
September 9th, 2009
7:58 am
Hehe, Marquis has ONE good year out of NINE seasons, and taxman kenneth is singing his praises.
Hey taxman, the guy has been a bum his entire career. This season is a fluke.
...the truth
September 9th, 2009
8:07 am
This is all old news…Schuerholtz is the one that consistently gave away the farm seeking the immediate fix holy grail of back to the WS. When there they won with one run….David Justice….remember him?
Remember the Justice trade? We got Kenny Lofton and gave up Justice and Marquis Grissom and got Lofton and Embree…who got the best deal in that one?
Big John engineered all those trades and I fail to remember one that was not hailed as great deals ….”earthshaking” was one term given to the Justice give away…
I thought most of them sucked at the time and history pretty much backs it up…yep they wond the Division 14 times in the span, but the failure to win only one WS still plagues many Braves fans, and for sure “Big John”…
So what else is new?
rhynster
September 9th, 2009
8:20 am
Hilarious. Schuerholz is to blame for not winning more?
Right.
That’s too laughable to argue.
Phil
September 9th, 2009
8:25 am
How can we get Cox included in this former Braves list? Forget that, no other team would want him.
Jeff Schultz
September 9th, 2009
8:27 am
Dozer – Thanx. Forgot about Wainwright because he never actually pitched here but he was in the system. So he’s been added. I like this rotation.
Dan – Not the first time my fingers typed that mistake. I think he needs to change his name. (FYI, fixed)
Taxman – I like this starting rotation of ex-Braves now. … Feliz (not Perez) I think was the one guy Brave were REALLY worried about in the Tex trade, and to some degree Andrus. They were set at catcher with McCann, and to a large degree Saltalamacchia (the perceived centerpiece of the trade) hasn’t been nearly what fans/media/Rangers thought.
Nick Green: Secret weapon. Yeah.
Shadetree
September 9th, 2009
8:32 am
Why has the AJC not doen a spotlight on Vazquez. It is a slap in the face to the best pitcher on the staff. For gosh sakes. they just did a spotlight on Logan. I think the AJC is racist or something. They must get that from the Braves front office. White is right I guess. At least it’s right for a 3rd or 4th place finish.
Wolfeman
September 9th, 2009
8:33 am
The Braves GM should:
1. Only trade for utility players or bullpen guys. The last major trade I liked when it happened was for Fred McGriff.
2. Acquire new players through free agency. That works for them. (Greg Maddux)
3. Avoid clients of Scott Boras like the swine flu.
4. Promote up from the farm. The Florida Marlins have won 2 World Series in the last decade doing it that way…
Peter
September 9th, 2009
8:39 am
Gosh maybe if we had a relevant manager, hitting coach, and a few more pieces, we would be right in the hunt………losing three games to the Reds really told us what this team was all about…..No leadership, and zero heart !
Mac
September 9th, 2009
8:43 am
And, out of all of those people, the only ones I’d like back are Tex, J.D. Drew, the relievers, and Wainwright.
But, without the Braves, I probably won’t follow the playoffs much at all. I’ll be concentrated on family, work and football.
Peter
September 9th, 2009
8:45 am
Well you have to tip your hat to the Rockies this year……. they kept it REAL………The Braves have not for quite a few years running.
When we find a manager who is relevant, and will NOT Burn out the bull pen, and get a hitting coach, things will change for the better.
Brian
September 9th, 2009
8:54 am
A little stretch to call Wainwright, Feliz, and Andrus “former Braves”, considering they never put on an Atlanta uniform. Is John Smoltz a former Tiger?
Brian
September 9th, 2009
8:58 am
Wolfeman, I’m amused by the irony of your list:
“2. Acquire new players through free agency. That works for them. (Greg Maddux)
3. Avoid clients of Scott Boras like the swine flu.”
Hmmm…I’ll give you two guess as to who was Maddux’s agent…
willsmith
September 9th, 2009
8:59 am
Do y’all remember the reaction on these blogs when Hampton went back to the Astros? Now we’re all glad he did (and on the DL again)!
Jon Hughes
September 9th, 2009
9:01 am
i would move dero to the outfield and have furcal or andrus play 3rd
Jon Hughes
September 9th, 2009
9:04 am
..and isnt paul byrd on the redsox now? he played for the braves
Caz
September 9th, 2009
9:09 am
Teixeira is NOT a Brave, nor should he be mentioned as ever being one. He may have worn the uniform, but his mind was always on this past winter and he knew we’d never give him the payday he wanted.
The trade for him, like the trade for JD Drew are Shuerholz’s biggest mistakes as a Brave’s GM.
Jon Hughes
September 9th, 2009
9:10 am
and power hitting chris woodward!!!
Hillbilly Deluxe
September 9th, 2009
9:11 am
Just out of curiousity and for comparision, what would happen if you picked a couple other teams using a random scientific method (Say a dart board, maybe)? I bet you’d find that most any organization has a lot of former players in the playoffs. Player movement in the modern era has a lot to do with this as well as the fact that most teams are built are 3 or 4 perceived stars and the rest of the team is made up of role players who fill a specific need for a period of time. Reggie Sanders is a prime example. He went to the playoffs nearly every year and usually with a different team. He wasn’t a superstar but he was a good, solid ballplayer and teams in the hunt knew they could plug him in the right spot and he would help them.
Steve
September 9th, 2009
9:14 am
another pile of Schultz rubbish….burn after reading
Don
September 9th, 2009
9:19 am
The “priority” need for the Braves for next season is not to “add” a big bat but rather to “subtract” Bobby Cox.
Chazs
September 9th, 2009
9:20 am
I often think about all the ex-Braves floating around on other teams rosters. But with few exceptions, most notably Wainwright, I think the Braves can justify almost all of the trades and feel good about what they have done.
Some may question the Tex deal, but I never really thought he would fit in with the Braves long term.
For those of you who question the Jason Marquis deal, he was the most unhappy player the Braves ever had, including a certain centerfielder. Jason never would have worked out. (That opens up the whole “Leo” regime; something we really do not want to get into.)
If you really want to throw mud, go back to the Jermaine Dye trade. That was probably the worst trade the Braves GM ever made.
Don
September 9th, 2009
9:23 am
This season and “next” season will end almost simultaneously with the annoucement as soon as this season is over – that Bobby Cox will be the manager for next year.
Don
September 9th, 2009
9:27 am
With the season coming to an end, it is pointless for Braves fans to even start any kind of discussions/ projections etc relating to who the Braves might need to trade for, or what free agents they might sign, or what players they might bring up—- because it ia all pointless/ matters not as long as Bobby Cox is going to continue to be the manager.
Don
September 9th, 2009
9:29 am
Of the eight teams in the two leagues who are leading their Divisions and the Wild Card Race, not one of them would be in first place if Bobby Cox had been their manager from the beginning of the year.
Brian
September 9th, 2009
9:30 am
To answer your question of do I care or will I follow these guys in the playoffs: John Smoltz and Rafael Furcal are the only guys that will be playing in the playoffs that I really think about as former Braves in the sense that I was attached to them as a fan. (I really don’t think Texas will be in, so that rules out Jones and Millwood). The other guys put on the uniform, but either weren’t significant pieces or didn’t stay long. Furcal has been gone long enough to where what he does won’t make much of a difference to me. Smoltz will be the only player you mentioned that I will watch, will care about, and will associate with the Braves in the playoffs.
Brian
September 9th, 2009
9:31 am
“With the season coming to an end, it is pointless for Braves fans to even start any kind of discussions/ projections etc relating to who the Braves might need to trade for, or what free agents they might sign, or what players they might bring up—- because it ia all pointless/ matters not as long as Bobby Cox is going to continue to be the manager.”
Well, I guess it’s going to be a boring winter for you, lol. Might as well find another team.
macdwolfpack
September 9th, 2009
9:34 am
JD Drew and Texeria trades sapped the life out of the Atlanta Braves farm system for which we are paying the price today and tomorrow.
curtis jones
September 9th, 2009
9:36 am
How quickly can we add Chipper to that ex-Brave list? Did anyone else want to throw a brick through the TV screen last night when “Hoss” stood and watched three straight strikes without lifting the bat off his shoulder? Of course, the Braves had a one-run lead at the time, so “Hoss” didn’t need to exert himself.
Don
September 9th, 2009
9:38 am
Brian, that is exactly the point — If Bobby Cox is going to contnue to manage, Braves fans should find another team – rather than watch his almost daily blunder after blunder. Watching a team compete with limited talent is one thing, but watching such obvious incompetence from management is quite another. Pitching is the name of the game; and with the Braves very good pitching talent, how could Cox possibly have them barely winning half of their games. (And I have been a Braves fan since long before the good years.)
Hillbilly Deluxe
September 9th, 2009
9:43 am
J D Drew has been gone for five full seasons. That’s plenty of time for the Braves to have signed good prospects and for them to have worked their way up through the system.
Brian
September 9th, 2009
9:43 am
Don, thank you for finally getting the point. Hope the Yankees/Red Sox do well for you.
Jeff Schultz
September 9th, 2009
9:45 am
Brian – Here’s my answer: I’m sure Tigers fans are calling Smoltz a former Tiger and wished they had never made that trade.
Jon – Yeah, Byrd is in Red Sox now. Lost track of him after Cleveland. I’ll add him.
Steve – Feel good about yourself now? Now go seize the day. There’s a cleanup in aisle 6.
Boogieman
September 9th, 2009
9:53 am
Texas and Boston won’t both make the playoffs there chief.
Brian
September 9th, 2009
9:55 am
Fair enough, Jeff. I’m not so sure I agree with you that Tigers fans are all that concerned about Smoltz, at least not any more.
I’d like to add that I’m not saying anyone who disagrees with Bobby Cox should find another team. I just don’t understand why people that complain every single day about how terrible the Braves are and how this season and the next ten are completely lost continue to subject themselves to it. Do people that hate brussel sprouts eat them every day and then go online and complain about them? Stop eating them!!! It’s like sports masochism.
Gene
September 9th, 2009
10:01 am
I thought at the beginning of the year that Smoltz would be a factor in the post season. I will certainly be watching him. I still wonder why the Braves dumped Jermaine Dye. If MLB only played seven innings, the Braves would be leading the division.
Reggie
September 9th, 2009
10:03 am
This article is the exact reason I quit watching baseball. Too many trades and I’ll add way too many games, and the camera angle from center field instead of allowing straight camera shot to home plate so we can see the ball curve.
Phil
September 9th, 2009
10:09 am
Don,
I think Brian wants to keep Cox for another 10 years. When you add that to the last 4 years of missing the playoffs, that will add up to 14 straight years of “missing” the playoffs. I guess in Brian’s mind we owe that to Cox for the 14 years we “did” make the playoffs. We owe that
loser nothing, this is a business and if you don’t perform, you need to go.
Christina
September 9th, 2009
10:15 am
Way to poor salt in an open wound. Classy.
atlbravesfan44
September 9th, 2009
10:17 am
Go Cardinals!
Kenneth Simpson
September 9th, 2009
10:25 am
Jeff Schultz, I agree with you. I like the rotation of ex braves too. Marquis has been called a fluke by one venter but again look at how many games he has won this year and no brave pitcher is that good this year. He may fluke after this year but what do the braves have to show for that trade. NOTHING! I think Salty will come around and be the player has been envisioned to be and to me Andrus is a whiz at SS and I think he would show more dedication to the braves and play at least as good as Escobar does. Feliz to me may be the best player in the trade but again we will just have to wait and see. I don’t think pitchers with his potential comes around very often and to just give him away makes me sick. Even if they never wore a braves uniform they were still future braves and to just give away the farm for a rental is stupid.